CHULA VISTA, Calif. — On Super Tuesday, March 5, 2024, California voted in the Presidential Primary Election. Chula Vista voters will select the top two candidates in multiple districts for the City Council to move on to the November General Election.
Voters will also select the winner for Chula Vista City Attorney in a special election. The candidates are in a runoff because voters selected a candidate that died before the election but his name could not be removed from the ballots.
Chula Vista City Attorney | Live Election Results
Chula Vista City Council District 3 | Live Election Results
Chula Vista City Council District 4 | Live Election Results
Recently ousted former City Councilwoman Andrea Cardenas remains in the running Wednesday in a too-close-to-call Chula Vista City Council District 4 election.
The top-two vote getters will advance to November's general election.
In a statement late Tuesday, Fernandez said his campaign's "strong finish tonight makes clear that Southwest Chula Vista is tired of politics as usual and wants a change."
"I'm honored to move on to the general election, and I'm so grateful for the support I've received from across the community," he said. "We need to restore trust in Chula Vista's city government, and that starts with electing a city councilmember you can trust."
Chula Vista's City Council District 4 seat is unoccupied, after Cardenas resigned the seat last month and the remaining council members declared it officially vacant on Feb. 26.
However, Cardenas -- who, along with her brother Jesus, pleaded guilty to two felony counts of grand theft for fraudulently obtaining a COVID- relief loan for their political consulting business and using the money for personal expenses, and for unlawfully obtaining state unemployment benefits -- remained on the ballot, although was not actively campaigning.
Cardenas is expected to receive a sentence of probation, with the chance to have the charges reduced to misdemeanors. If convicted of a felony, she would be ineligible to serve on the council, but if the charges are reduced to misdemeanors, there would be nothing to prevent her from returning to the council if elected.
As part of the siblings' pleas, six other felony counts of conspiracy, money laundering and failing to file tax returns will be dismissed. They will also be required to pay restitution.
The pair were initially charged last year, with prosecutors saying they fraudulently obtained a $176,227 Paycheck Protection Program loan in early 2021 intended for their firm, Grassroots Resources, then used the funds on personal expenses, including a $33,500 check to Andrea Cardenas' Chula Vista City Council campaign account.
Chula Vista City Council District 3, covering the southeastern quadrant of the city, is represented by Alonso Gonzalez, who is termed out.
City commissioner Michael Inzunza took a commanding lead in early results for District 3, pulling in more than 50% of the vote. Leticia Munguia, nonprofit director, and Daniel D. Rice-Vazquez, businessman, were competing for second place.
The City Attorney race is a runoff to fill the remainder of a term ending December 2026 -- after Simon Silva won the 2022 election despite dying before Election Day, and officials were unable to remove his name from the ballot.
Chula Vista's city attorney position, like the mayor, is a citywide race.
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